Tracks FCDThe Official E-Bulletin of Friends for Conservation and Development May 2020, Issue #35 30 Years of Core Conservation In This Issue CICA Project Concludes targeted on methods to protect the shared watershed in Belize, Anti-Poaching Unit while dozens of people participated on clean up campaigns Launched and reforestation schemes of the Mopan River in both Belize and Guatemala. The Binational Watershed Alliance was Page 2 strengthened and capacity building sessions were held for the membership of the Alliance. Eight communities adjacent to the Columbia River Forest Reserve in the Toledo District were also Amidst The targeted, totalling 573 persons on the importance of indigenous Pandemic . lands. Eight indigenous communities in Guatemala, were Page 2 assisted on alternative livelihood initiatives, primarily with the objective of establishing community nurseries and permanent nurseries for the production of high quality cacao, while in Belize extension services were provided to farmers in the Vaca WWF Agroforestry Forest Reserve and to the Arenal women’s group. In addition, Project Begins two exchange programs with indigenous peoples from Belize Page 2 and Guatemala were held to develop a document describing the Biocultural Landscape of Indigenous Peoples of Guatemala l Consejo Indigena de Centro America, Asociacion Balam and Belize which consists of approximately 634,015 hectares Macaw Season Eand FCD collaborated on a project to reduce the degradation located in the Chiquibul-Maya Mountains. Finally, a strategy Starts of the biocultural Chiquibul Maya Mountains landscape that harmonizes the actions of 17 civil society groups of Belize Page 3 through a binational collaboration mechanism including civil and Guatemala in areas of environmental protection that form society organizations and indigenous and local communities. part of the Good Intentions agreement was developed. The project concluded successfully in May. Primary outputs of Funds for this project were made possible through the German Fires in the the project included: 1,383 persons from 11 communities were KfW, CICA/SOTZ´IL partnership. Chiquibul Forest Page 3 Fires in The Vaca Forest Reserve Las Cuevas – uring the month of April a sequence of forest fires in Ready for You!! Dthe Vaca Forest Reserve made national news for several days, as the fires consumed thousands of acres and the smoke Page 3 encircled several towns and villages. Health authorities were concerned that the emissions would create pulmonary infections upon the already impending threats of the COVID Grace Kennedy 19 pandemic. Supports Rangers The Ministry responsible for Forests and Protected Areas, Page 4 came to the rescue through their Forest Department staff and heavy machinery with the aim of controlling the fires and preventing it from entering into the Chiquibul Forest. Cayo Watershed For a week, the fire-fighting teams, along with FCD field tremendous not only on biodiversity but also in property Group Enters New technicians, struggled in opening fire lines. The wildfires were owned by farmers near the reserve. A preliminary census of Age eventually suffocated with the rains that dowsed the fumes damages shows that 13 farmers lost well over Bz$100,000.00 Page 4 and any log still burning. But by then the impact caused was in crops, plants, pastures and fences. Page 2 Anti-Poaching Unit Launched state of the macaw population it was certain that with that level of illegal extraction we could lose the macaw Goal: population in the relatively medium term. Thanks to Harvest Caye Conservation Foundation FCD aims to (HCCF), funds were obtained to install an anti-poaching conserve the unit whose tasking would be to intercept and detain poachers. The call for candidates started early in the natural and cultural year and by March the Unit became functional, with the resources of the assistance from other Park Rangers. As the macaw season begins, the Unit also has jumpstarted its activities. The western Chiquibul- Unit is supported with an anti-poaching canine, that was Maya Mountains obtained from the organization, Animals saving Animals for the sustainable (ASA). ASA presently provides continued conservation support to five countries in Africa, and has recently development of expanded further to include the United States, Malta, India Belize. ast year FCD got information from Guatemalan and Belize. ASA provides recognised handler training and Lcounterparts that at least 25 scarlet macaws had been specialist canines individually tailored to the individual trafficked from Belize by Guatemalan poachers. Given the needs of the employing agency or local government. Mission: Amidst The Pandemic . FCD pioneers adaptive espite the pandemic creating havoc worldwide, Dillegal activities are not on hold and in fact FCD management of has documented an increase of poaching on the adjacent the Chiquibul areas of the Chiquibul and in the Park itself the level of incursions have not stopped. Forest to improve Monitoring and enforcement activities in the Chiquibul the ecological and National Park and the Vaca Forest Reserve, where FCD cultural integrity maintains a presence, have been necessary and we extend of the western a grateful appreciation to all the supporters and donors who have kept their commitment for conservation in Chiquibul-Maya these difficult times. FCD has taken several precautions, Mountains. in preventing any COVID-19 infections among the field staff, while conducting field operations. During this period over 50 illegal farmers were prevented from deforesting a Police Department involved in illegal entry and defacing block of 278 acres and four persons were handed to the the national park. WWF Agroforestry Project Begins to the forest cover being lost along the river banks and the women’s enthusiasm to provide a service to the community. The nursery consists of mahogany, maya nut and cedar species; these are located on two yards, and are tended by members of the group on a rotational basis. The seedlings are expected to be planted before the end of the year in ten communities including Arenal, Benque, Succotz and San Ignacio. To do this, the group will partner with the Cayo Watershed Conservation Alliance, which consists of 10 communities in Belize, whose main mission is to help protect the rivers in the Cayo District. In addition, three men from the community are engaged he small village of Arenal, which straddles the Belize- on an agroforestry program which incorporates cacao, TGuatemala border is the center of two interesting avocado, mahogany, cedar, lime, plantain, corn and agroforestry activities launched in March. The first beans in three plots of land consisting of 32 acres. The activity is the development of a nursery by the Arenal community nursery is being supported by the World Women’s Conservation Group. The idea for the creation Wildlife Fund – MesoAmerica as part of their objective to of a nursery with over 10,000 seedlings came about due restore forest cover. Page 3 Macaw Season Starts four-person team will be documenting the nests and watchful in protecting the eggs and macaw chicks. These birds are at Vision: danger of being stolen for the illegal pet trade and the threat is always there of losing these birds quite rapidly. FCD’s last survey count registered a minimum of 334 individual parrots FCD envisions known to occur in Belize, and because it is locally endangered, healthy terrestrial then it becomes critically important to put the resources for their protection. The Belize Electric Company (BECOL) has ecosystems that been a primary funder for this program annually. are sustainably For the last five years, the biomonitoring program has managed for been successful in preventing the loss of chicks at the main Belize and the he scarlet macaw breeding season has started with a high biomonitoring site, which proves the importance of dedicating Tnesting activity in the Chiquibul. This has meant the man-power to monitor the nesting area. But other areas have region. development and activation of the annual biomonitoring effort been targeted by poachers, urging us to identify other resources by the FCD Research Unit. For the next seven months, the so that the work can be expanded. Board of Directors Fires in The Chiquibul Forest Pro-Tem President: he fires in the Chiquibul Forest were also dramatic and Mr. Mick Fleming Ta cause of high concern for FCD as co-managers of the park. The high temperatures and accumulation of fuel from fallen trees from the last hurricane created the right Vice President: environment for the explosion of wild fires across the tropical Mrs. Hannah forest. Although tropical broadleaf forests tend to burn slow and fires normally do not consume much virgin forests due St Luce Martinez to the humidity in trees, this time it was different. The fires were started by farmers from Guatemala Treasurer: through slash and burn method of cultivation. Farmlands Mr. Jorge de Leon and pasture lands have been used over the years by rural Guatemalan communities, many of them even within the recent FCD study titled, A Remote Sensing Damage Analysis park limits. These fires eventually became wild fires and of the Chiquibul Forest Impacted by the 2020 Forest Fires, Secretary: started to consume not only secondary forest but virgin shows that a total of 8,216.46 acres were impacted in the Chiquibul Forest, which represents 3,284.42 acres in the Mr. Joop Hendrikx forests of the Caracol Archaeological Reserve and Chiquibul National Park. Due to the remoteness of these fires, coupled Caracol Archaeological Reserve and another 4,932.04 acres with steep areas and FCD’s lack of fire-fighting skills and in the Chiquibul National Park. The results of this study Director: tools, these fires went on devouring the forest for many reveal that the 2020 forest fires were devastating and there days. FCD Park Rangers battled the fires by opening fire is an urgent need for an increased intervention to reduce Mrs.